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Can Minshew Mania make a return in Philadelphia?

By Zachary Cantalice

Sep 24, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) walks on the field before the game against the Miami Dolphins at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) walks on the field before the game against the Miami Dolphins at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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Minshew Mania burst onto the scene back in 2019. Rookie QB Gardner Minshew came onto the scene fast with his luscious mullet, his swagger, and his occasional magician-like play. However, Minshew Mania has quickly come to an end in Jacksonville in less than two years.

Can Gardner Minshew revive his young career in Philadelphia?

Minshew’s rookie year showed promise as he posted 3,271 passing yards with 21 TDs, 6 interceptions, and 60.6 completion percentage over 14 games. The Jaguars finished 6-10 that season but came into 2020 with Minshew as QB1 and a chance to back up the hype in 2019. 2020 sadly did not go as planned for Minshew. While his stats were not bad with 2,259 passing yards, 16 TDs, and 5 interceptions, Minshew was only able to play 9 games due to a right thumb injury. The Jaguars ended up being the worst team in the NFL and were gifted the rights to draft Trevor Lawrence. With Lawrence arriving in Jacksonville, Minshew’s chance with the Jaguars was all but over.

Minshew received first-team reps this preseason but he could not beat Lawrence for the starting job and has now been dealt with Philadelphia for a conditional 6th round pick. Philadelphia is an interesting situation as they are trying to find out if Jalen Hurts can be their future franchise QB. If Hurts fails to show he can be the Eagle’s future, can Minshew Mania make a return?

While we only have a small sample size of Jalen Hurts, the QBRs lean towards Minshew being a better QB last season. Hurts posted a QBR of 41.0 over his 5 NFL starts while Minshew posted a 51.6 QBR in his nine games last season. Hurts clearly shows more upside as a rusher but Minshew isn’t immobile. Minshew was able to show he can be crafty in the pocket in his time in Jacksonville. Another stat that favors Minshew is completion percentage. Hurts’ completion percentage was only 52% last season while Minshew showed improvement from year one to year two increasing his completion percentage from 60% in 2019 to 66% in 2020.

Another aspect of this equation is the city these two QBs play in. Philadelphia is an extremely passionate fan base. If Jalen Hurts struggles early on, will first-year head coach Nick Sirianni feel pressure from the fans to make a change at QB? If Hurts struggles, Philadelphia has no reason to not let Minshew get a chance to prove the hype around Minshew in 2019 was real. Philadelphia is one of the best potential opportunities for Minshew Mania to make an epic return.

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